# James Hedrick

> James Hedrick is the co-founder and CEO of Azul 3D, a Skokie, Illinois deep-tech company commercializing HARP (High Area Rapid Printing), a resin 3D-printing technology he helped invent during his PhD at Northwestern University in Chad Mirkin's lab. HARP uses a flowing, non-stick liquid interface to carry away heat, letting large parts print continuously up to 100 times faster than layer-by-layer machines - fast enough and strong enough to challenge injection molding. Hedrick started his first company at 16 to pay his way through MIT, where he was an NCAA athlete, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry list in 2020.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Azul 3D, Inc
- **Organizations:** Azul 3D, Inc, Northwestern University (alumnus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (alumnus)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate; NCAA student athlete, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering (Mirkin Group), Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Co-invented HARP (High Area Rapid Printing), published in Science (2019), Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Manufacturing & Industry), 2020, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow

## Career timeline

- **~16 years old** — Founded his first company; profits paid for his MIT tuition
- **2013-2019** — PhD at Northwestern under Chad Mirkin; co-developed HARP 3D-printing technology
- **2017** — Co-founded Azul 3D with David Walker and Chad Mirkin to commercialize HARP
- **2019** — HARP research published in the journal Science: 'Rapid, large-volume, thermally-controlled 3D printing using a mobile liquid interface'
- **2020** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Manufacturing & Industry
- **2021** — Azul 3D announced leadership changes; launched LAKE, its first commercial printer
- **2023** — Series A funding (total funding reported at $42.5M)
- **2024** — Azul 3D introduced the larger OCEAN 3D printer; Hedrick presented at NASA symposium on additive manufacturing adoption

## Achievements

- Co-invented HARP (High Area Rapid Printing), published in Science (2019)
- Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Manufacturing & Industry), 2020
- National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow
- Ryan Fellow
- Author of 16 peer-reviewed manuscripts and multiple patents
- Built Azul 3D to a reported $42.5M in total funding

## Latest updates

- **2024-06** — Azul 3D introduced the larger-format OCEAN 3D printer built on HARP technology.
- **2024** — Hedrick presented at a NASA symposium on lowering adoption barriers for additive manufacturing via UV-curable thermosets.

## Links

- Website: https://azul3d.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshedrick3/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/azul3d
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/azul3dprinting/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-hedrick
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01